JP7157781B2 - Speech bubble generator and video game processing system - Google Patents

Description

At least one embodiment of the invention relates to a balloon generator and a video game processing system.

A speech bubble may appear on the game screen of a video game. In general, image data of speech balloons having basic shapes are prepared in advance as assets (materials).

Patent Literature 1 describes a computer program for displaying contact information together with a balloon image.

JP 2017-018414 A

A game player visually recognizes the balloon displayed on the game screen. Therefore, if a computer device can display a speech balloon having an appearance with a more dramatic effect on a game screen, the player's interest in the video game will increase.

It is an object of at least one embodiment of the present invention to solve the above problems and increase player interest in video games.

From a non-limiting point of view, a balloon generation program according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a server controlling the progress of a video game with a calculation formula specifying function for specifying one or more calculation formulas, and and a balloon generation function that generates a balloon having an appearance that is

According to a non-limiting aspect, a video game processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a communication network, a server, and a user terminal, and controls progress of a video game, It includes calculation formula identification means for identifying one or more calculation formulas, and balloon generation means for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the calculation formula.

From a non-limiting point of view, a speech balloon generating program according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a user terminal with a calculation formula specifying function for specifying one or more calculation formulas, and a speech balloon having an appearance defined by the calculation formula. It is for realizing a balloon generation function that generates a

Embodiments of the present application address one or more deficiencies.

1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a video game processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of game processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a video game processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a user terminal corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a speech bubble having a formula-defined appearance, consistent with at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a speech bubble having a formula-defined appearance, consistent with at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a speech bubble having a formula-defined appearance, consistent with at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a calculation formula defined for generating a balloon, corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 illustrates a tailed speech bubble according to at least one embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the various constituent elements in the examples of the embodiments described below can be appropriately combined within a range that does not cause contradiction or the like. Also, the content described as an example of a certain embodiment may be omitted in other embodiments. Also, the contents of operations and processes that are not related to the features of each embodiment may be omitted. Furthermore, the order of various processes constituting various flows and sequences described below is random as long as there is no contradiction in the processing contents.

[First embodiment]
An overview of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, as a first embodiment, a balloon generating program executed in a server will be exemplified and described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a video game processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention. The video game processing system 100 includes a video game processing server 10 (server 10) and user terminals 20, 201 to 20N (where N is an arbitrary integer) used by users (game players, etc.) of the video game processing system 100. Prepare. The configuration of the video game processing system 100 is not limited to this. For example, video game processing system 100 may be configured for multiple users to use a single user terminal. Video game processing system 100 may include multiple servers.

The server 10 and a plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N are connected to a communication network 30 such as the Internet so as to be able to communicate with each other. The connection between the communication network 30 and the server 10 and the connection between the communication network 30 and the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N may be wired or wireless. For example, a plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N may be connected to the communication network 30 by performing data communication with a base station managed by a communication carrier through wireless communication lines.

The video game processing system 100 includes a server 10 and a plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, thereby realizing various functions for executing various processes according to user's operations.

The server 10 controls progress of the video game. The server 10 is managed by an administrator of the video game processing system 100, and has various functions for providing information on various processes to the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N. In this example, the server 10 is configured by an information processing device such as a WWW server, and includes a storage unit (storage medium, storage device) for storing various types of information. The server 10 has a general configuration for performing various processes as a computer, such as a control unit and a communication unit, but the description thereof is omitted here. Moreover, in the video game processing system 100, it is preferable that the server 10 manages various information from the viewpoint of reducing the processing load on each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N. However, the storage unit that stores various information may have a storage area accessible by the server 10 , and may have a dedicated storage area outside the server 10 , for example.

A plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N are each configured by a communication terminal managed by a user and capable of playing a network distribution type game. Examples of communication terminals capable of playing network-delivered games include mobile phone terminals, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), portable game devices, VR goggles, and so-called wearable devices. The configuration of the user terminal that can be included in the video game processing system 100 is not limited to these, and any configuration that allows the user to recognize the composite image may be used. Other examples of user terminal configurations include a combination of various communication terminals, a personal computer, and a stationary game device.

Each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N is connected to the communication network 30 and communicates with the server 10 to perform various types of processing (eg, browser screens and game screens corresponding to coordinates). ) and software. Note that each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N may be configured to directly communicate with each other without going through the server 10. FIG.

Each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N may incorporate a display device. A display device may be wirelessly or wiredly connected to each of the user terminals 20, 201 to 20N. It should be noted that the display device has a very general configuration, so illustration is omitted here. The game screen, for example, is displayed by the display device as the aforementioned composite image, and the user recognizes this composite image. The game screen is displayed, for example, on a display that is an example of a display device provided in the user terminal or a display that is an example of a display device connected to the user terminal. The display device includes, for example, a hologram display device capable of displaying a hologram, and a projection device for projecting an image (including a game screen) on a screen or the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one embodiment of the invention. A server 10</b>A, which is an example of the configuration of the server 10 , includes at least a calculation formula identification unit 11 and a balloon generation unit 12 . The processor included in the server 10A refers to a balloon generation program held (installed) in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device), and executes the program to create a calculation formula identification unit 11 and a balloon generation unit 12. functionally realized.

The calculation formula specifying unit 11 has a function of specifying one or more calculation formulas. The balloon generation unit 12 has a function of generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula.

Next, program execution processing according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11 identifies one or more calculation formulas (St11). Next, the balloon generator 12 generates a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula (St12).

A formula means a combination of numbers, operators, functions, etc. based on certain rules. The fixed rule is, for example, a rule that two operators "÷" indicating division are not arranged in succession, such as "÷÷". A specific example of the calculation formula will be described later with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG.

A speech bubble means a frame image surrounding text, pictograms, stamp images, or the like. In the balloon, for example, the speaker's lines (contents of utterances) and thoughts (what he thinks in his head) are drawn. Speakers are, for example, characters appearing in stories such as comics and novels, narrators of stories, characters appearing in games, game systems themselves that perform narration in games, and persons who transmit texts indicating the content of statements in text chat applications. , performers of TV programs and radio programs, performers and participants of talk events, etc. include. Elements other than character strings may be drawn in balloons (frame images). For example, a pictogram, a stamp image, a character face image (still image or moving image), or the like may be drawn in the balloon. Note that the frame of the balloon does not have to be completely closed, and a part of the text, pictogram, stamp image, etc. may protrude from the frame of the balloon.

The appearance of the balloon means the shape, color, size, pattern, texture, etc. of the displayed balloon. Appearance includes at least shape.

As one aspect of the first embodiment, various types of calculation formulas can be defined, so various speech balloons can be provided.

As one aspect of the first embodiment, by providing various speech balloons, it is possible to enhance the presentation effect for the user viewing the displayed speech balloons.

As an aspect of the first embodiment, providing a variety of balloons can enhance a player's interest in the video game in which the balloons are displayed.

[Second embodiment]
An outline of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. A second embodiment will be described below by exemplifying a balloon generation program executed in a server. The server may be the server 10 included in the video game processing system 100 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one embodiment of the invention. A server 10B, which is an example of the configuration of the server 10, includes at least a calculation formula identification unit 11B and a balloon generation unit 12B. The processor provided in the server 10B refers to a balloon generation program held (installed) in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device), and executes the program to create a calculation formula identification unit 11B and a balloon generation unit 12B. functionally realized.

The calculation formula identification unit 11B has a function of identifying one or more calculation formulas having variables. The balloon generator 12B has a function of generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula. The appearance of the balloon generated by the balloon generation unit 12B changes according to the change in the value of the variable.

Next, program execution processing according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11B identifies one or more calculation formulas (St21). Next, the balloon generator 12B generates a balloon having an appearance defined by the identified formula (St22).

A calculation formula in the second embodiment means a combination of numbers, operators, functions, etc. based on a certain rule, like the calculation formula in the first embodiment. Here, the calculation formula in the second embodiment has variables. A variable is a number whose value can vary. When the value of the variable changes, the calculation result of the formula changes. Since the appearance of the balloon is defined by the formula, the appearance of the balloon also changes.

The meanings of the balloons and the appearance of the balloons in the second embodiment are the same as in the first embodiment, so descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As an aspect of the second embodiment, the appearance of the callout can be changed by changing the value of the variable, thus providing a greater variety of callouts.

As one aspect of the second embodiment, it is possible to animate the balloon by changing the value of the variable, so that it is possible to further enhance the presentation effect for the user viewing the displayed balloon.

As an aspect of the second embodiment, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game in which balloons are displayed.

[Third embodiment]
An outline of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. A third embodiment will be described below by exemplifying a balloon generation program executed in a server. Note that in the third embodiment, the server may be the server 10 included in the video game processing system 100 shown in FIG. The balloon is displayed on the game screen provided on the user terminal 20 side.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one embodiment of the invention. A server 10</b>C, which is an example of the configuration of the server 10 , includes at least a calculation formula identification unit 11</b>C, a balloon generation unit 12</b>C, and a balloon display unit 13 . The processor provided in the server 10C refers to a speech balloon generation program held (installed) in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device), and executes the program to create a calculation formula identification unit 11C and a speech balloon generation unit 12C. , and the balloon display unit 13 are functionally realized.

The calculation formula identification unit 11C has a function of identifying one or more calculation formulas. The balloon generator 12B has a function of generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula. The balloon display unit 13 has a function of displaying the generated balloon on the game screen.

Next, program execution processing according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of game processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11C identifies one or more calculation formulas (St31). Next, the balloon generator 12C generates a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula (St32). Next, the balloon display unit 13 transmits a balloon display command to the user terminal 20 in order to display the generated balloon on the game screen (St33). The balloon display command may include image data of the generated balloon. Next, the user terminal 20 that has received the balloon display instruction displays a balloon on the game screen (St34).

The meanings of calculation formulas, balloons, and appearances of balloons in the third embodiment are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, and therefore descriptions thereof are omitted.

As an aspect of the third embodiment, the user can recognize various balloons.

As one aspect of the third embodiment, the user can recognize speech balloons with a high dramatic effect.

As an aspect of the third embodiment, the speech balloon may be of interest to the video game player.

[Fourth embodiment]
An outline of the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. A video game processing system that controls the progress of a video game will be described below as a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a video game processing system corresponding to at least one embodiment of the invention. The video game processing system 101 includes a video game processing server 40 (server 40) and user terminals 20, 201 to 20N (where N is an arbitrary integer) used by users (game players, etc.) of the video game processing system 101. Prepare. The configuration of the video game processing system 101 is not limited to this. For example, the video game processing system 101 may be configured for multiple users to use a single user terminal. Video game processing system 101 may include multiple servers.

The server 40 and a plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N are connected to a communication network 30 such as the Internet so as to be able to communicate with each other. The connections between the communication network 30 and the server 40 and the connections between the communication network 30 and the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N may be wired connections or wireless connections. For example, a plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N may be connected to the communication network 30 by performing data communication with a base station managed by a communication carrier through wireless communication lines.

The video game processing system 101 includes a server 40 and a plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, thereby realizing various functions for executing various processes according to user's operations.

Server 40 controls the progress of the video game. The server 40 is managed by the administrator of the video game processing system 101 and has various functions for providing information on various processes to the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N. In this example, the server 40 is configured by an information processing device such as a WWW server, and includes a storage unit (storage medium, storage device) that stores various types of information. The server 40 has a general configuration for performing various processes as a computer, such as a control unit and a communication unit, but the description is omitted here. Moreover, in the video game processing system 101, it is preferable that the server 40 manages various information from the viewpoint of reducing the processing load on each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N. However, the storage unit that stores various information may have a storage area accessible by the server 40 , and may be configured to have a dedicated storage area outside the server 40 , for example.

A plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N are each configured by a communication terminal managed by a user and capable of playing a network distribution type game. Examples of communication terminals capable of playing network-delivered games include mobile phone terminals, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), portable game devices, VR goggles, and so-called wearable devices. The configuration of the user terminal that can be included in the video game processing system 101 is not limited to these, and any configuration that allows the user to recognize the synthesized image may be used. Other examples of user terminal configurations include a combination of various communication terminals, a personal computer, and a stationary game device.

Each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N is connected to the communication network 30 and communicates with the server 40 to perform various types of processing (eg, browser screens and game screens corresponding to coordinates). ) and software. Note that each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N may be configured to be able to directly communicate with each other without going through the server 40. FIG.

Each of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N may incorporate a display device. A display device may be wirelessly or wiredly connected to each of the user terminals 20, 201 to 20N. It should be noted that the display device has a very general configuration, so illustration is omitted here. The game screen, for example, is displayed by the display device as the aforementioned composite image, and the user recognizes this composite image. The game screen is displayed, for example, on a display that is an example of a display device provided in the user terminal or a display that is an example of a display device connected to the user terminal. The display device includes, for example, a hologram display device capable of displaying a hologram, and a projection device for projecting an image (including a game screen) on a screen or the like.

Next, program execution processing according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The video game processing system 101 identifies one or more calculation formulas (St41). Next, the video game processing system 101 generates a balloon having an appearance defined by the identified formula (St42).

The processing subject of step St41 may be the server 40 or any one of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N. For example, when specifying a calculation formula based on information held by the server 40, the server 40 may execute step St41. Conversely, when specifying a calculation formula based on information held by any one of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, any one of the user terminals 20, 201 to 20N may execute step St42.

The processing subject of step St42 may be the server 40 or any one of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N. For example, from the viewpoint of processing load, the server 40 may execute step St42. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of reducing the communication load when the balloon image is transmitted from the server 40 to any one of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, the user terminal may execute step St42.

The meanings of the calculation formula, the speech balloon, and the appearance of the speech balloon in the fourth embodiment are the same as in the first to third embodiments, and thus descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As one aspect of the fourth embodiment, various types of calculation formulas can be defined, so various speech balloons can be provided.

As one aspect of the fourth embodiment, by providing various speech balloons, it is possible to enhance the presentation effect for the user viewing the displayed speech balloons.

As an aspect of the fourth embodiment, by providing a variety of balloons, the player's interest in the video game in which the balloons are displayed can be enhanced.

[Fifth embodiment]
An outline of the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, as a fifth embodiment, a balloon generation program executed in a user terminal will be exemplified and described.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal corresponding to at least one embodiment of the invention.

The user terminal 50 is configured by a terminal managed by the user and with which the user can play games. A game played by the user terminal 50 may be a network-distributed game or a stand-alone game. User terminal 50 may control the progress of the video game. The user terminal 50 has a general configuration for performing various processes as a computer device such as a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, and an input unit, but the description thereof will be omitted here.

Examples of the user terminal 50 include a mobile phone terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a portable game device, VR goggles, and so-called wearable devices. The configuration of the user terminal 20 is not limited to these, and may be any configuration that allows the user to recognize the composite image. Other examples of the configuration of the user terminal 20 include a combination of various communication terminals, a personal computer, and a stationary game device.

User terminal 50 may be any of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201-20N shown in FIG. 1 or FIG.

The user terminal 50 includes at least a calculation formula identification unit 51 and a balloon generation unit 52 . The control unit (processor) provided in the user terminal 50 refers to the balloon generation program stored (installed) in the storage unit (storage medium, storage device) or distributed from the server 40, and executes the program. Thus, the calculation formula identification unit 51 and the balloon generation unit 52 are functionally realized.

The calculation formula identification unit 51 has a function of identifying one or more calculation formulas. The balloon generator 52 has a function of generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula.

A user terminal 50 is combined with a display device. It should be noted that the display device has a very general configuration, so illustration is omitted here. The display device may or may not be built in the user terminal 50 . The display device may be wirelessly or wiredly connected to the user terminal 50 . The game screen, for example, is displayed by the display device as the aforementioned composite image, and the user recognizes this composite image. The game screen is displayed, for example, on a display that is an example of a display device provided in the user terminal or a display that is an example of a display device connected to the user terminal. The display device includes, for example, a hologram display device capable of displaying a hologram, and a projection device for projecting an image (including a game screen) on a screen or the like.

Next, FIG. 11, which describes the program execution processing in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, is a flow chart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 51 identifies one or more calculation formulas (St51). Next, the balloon generator 52 generates a balloon having an appearance defined by the identified formula (St52).

The meanings of the calculation formula, the speech balloon, and the appearance of the speech balloon in the fifth embodiment are the same as those in the first to fourth embodiments, and thus descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As one aspect of the fifth embodiment, various kinds of calculation formulas can be defined, so various speech balloons can be provided.

As one aspect of the fifth embodiment, by providing various speech balloons, it is possible to enhance the presentation effect for the user viewing the displayed speech balloons.

As an aspect of the fifth embodiment, by providing a variety of balloons, the player's interest in the video game in which the balloons are displayed can be enhanced.

[Sixth embodiment]
An overview of the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following, a sixth embodiment will be described by exemplifying a speech balloon generation program executed in a server.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server corresponding to at least one embodiment of the invention. A server 10Z, which is an example of the configuration of the server 10, includes at least a calculation formula identification unit 11Z and a balloon generation unit 12Z. The processor provided in the server 10Z refers to a speech bubble generation program held (installed) in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device), and executes the program to create a calculation formula identification unit 11Z and a speech bubble generation unit 12Z. functionally realized.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z has a function of identifying one or more calculation formulas. The balloon generator 12Z has a function of generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the specified formula.

Next, program execution processing according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an example of balloon generation processing corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas (St61). Next, the balloon generator 12Z generates a balloon having an appearance defined by the identified formula (St62).

A formula means a combination of numbers, operators, functions, etc. based on certain rules. The fixed rule is, for example, a rule that two operators "÷" indicating division are not arranged in succession, such as "÷÷". A specific example of the calculation formula will be described later with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG.

A speech bubble means a frame image surrounding text, pictograms, stamp images, or the like. In the balloon, for example, the speaker's lines (utterance content) and thoughts (what he thinks in his head) are drawn. Speakers are, for example, characters appearing in stories such as comics and novels, narrators of stories, characters appearing in games, game systems themselves that perform narration in games, and persons who transmit texts indicating the content of statements in text chat applications. , performers of TV programs and radio programs, performers and participants of talk events, etc. include. Elements other than character strings may be drawn in balloons (frame images). For example, a pictogram, a stamp image, a character face image (still image or moving image), or the like may be drawn in the balloon. Note that the frame of the balloon does not have to be completely closed, and a part of the text, pictogram, stamp image, etc. may protrude from the frame of the balloon.

The appearance of the balloon means the shape, color, size, pattern, texture, etc. of the displayed balloon. Appearance includes at least shape.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a speech bubble having a formula-defined appearance according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The balloon SB01 has a circular appearance. In the drawing, the balloon SB01 is drawn in black, but in reality, the color of the balloon SB01 can be various colors other than black. In step St61, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z can specify the calculation formula A that defines the appearance of the balloon SB01.

Equation A is defined as length(p)-r. Here, p means a point in a two-dimensional coordinate system (XY coordinate system in this example). length(p) means a function that outputs the distance (length) from the origin to the point p in the coordinate system. Note that the x-coordinate value of point p is p. Let p.x be the value of the y-coordinate of point p. If y, the function length(p) can be expressed by the following formula.
length(p)=((p.x) ² +(p.y) ² ) ^1/2

The r in the formula A means the radius of the circle. The radius r of the circle may be a fixed value. Also, the radius r of the circle may be a number (variable) whose value changes.

The formula A specified in step St61 defines the appearance of the balloon SB01. In fact, if the distance of the point p from the origin is r or less, the calculation result of the formula A will be a value of 0 or less. A balloon SB01 having a black circular shape is defined by drawing each point (each pixel on the image to be displayed) where the calculation result of the calculation formula A has a value of 0 or less in black. In step St62, the balloon generation unit 12Z generates an image of the balloon SB01 based on the specified calculation formula A. FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a balloon having an appearance defined by a formula, corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The balloon SB02 has a rectangular appearance. In the drawing, the balloon SB02 is drawn in black, but in reality, the color of the balloon SB02 can be various colors other than black. In step St61, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z can specify the calculation formula B that defines the appearance of the balloon SB02.

Formula B is defined as max(abs(p.x)-size.x, abs(p.y)-size.y). Here, p means a point in a two-dimensional coordinate system (XY coordinate system in this example). p. x means the value of the x-coordinate of point p, p. y means the value of the y-coordinate of point p.

max(a, b) is a function that outputs the larger value between value a and value b. abs(X) is a function that outputs the absolute value of value X. abs(X) can also be expressed as |X|.

size. x means half the length of the rectangle in the X-axis direction. size. y means half the length of the rectangle in the Y-axis direction. size. x and size. Each y may be a fixed value. Moreover, size. x and size. Each y may be a number (variable) whose value changes.

The formula B specified in step St61 defines the appearance of the balloon SB02. Actually, if the point p is inside the rectangle, the calculation result of the formula B will be a value of 0 or less. A balloon SB02 having a black rectangle is defined by drawing each point (each pixel on the image to be displayed) where the calculation result of the calculation formula B becomes a value of 0 or less in black. In step St62, the balloon generation unit 12Z generates an image of the balloon SB02 based on the specified calculation formula B. FIG.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a balloon having an appearance defined by a formula, corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 describes balloons with various appearances. Although the detailed description of the calculation formulas that define each balloon is omitted, for example, balloons having these appearances can be defined by calculation formulas. Note that the appearance of the balloon may be obtained by compositely superimposing a plurality of calculation formulas. At step St61, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z can specify various calculation formulas that define the appearance of the balloon. In step St62, the balloon generation unit 12Z generates a balloon image based on the specified formula.

Note that the color, size, pattern, texture, etc. of the balloon can also be defined by calculation formulas. For example, when RGB values based on additive color mixture (the values of R, G, and B are 0 to 255, respectively) are used as color expressions, the value of R can be expressed by a formula. A pattern can be expressed by a calculation formula like a shape. The fact that the size can be expressed by a formula is exemplified by the radius r shown in FIG. As for the texture, for example, the transparency (for example, alpha value) of the balloon can be expressed by a calculation formula. The calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies calculation formulas that define the color, size, pattern, texture, etc. of these balloons in addition to the shapes of the balloons. The balloon generation unit 12Z generates a balloon image having the color, size, pattern, texture, etc. of the balloon defined by the specified calculation formula. The balloon generation unit 12Z can generate a balloon having any appearance as long as the appearance can be represented by a calculation formula. Therefore, various effects can be performed depending on the shape, color, etc. of the balloon.

The balloon image in the sixth embodiment is dynamically generated by calculation based on a formula. Therefore, it is not necessary to statically store the balloon image as an asset (material) in the storage unit (storage medium, storage device). Therefore, balloon images in the sixth embodiment do not occupy a storage area. On the other hand, in the case of balloon images stored in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device) as static assets (materials), many types of image data are stored. In particular, when an attempt is made to display balloon animation, a large number of serially numbered images for constructing the animation are stored in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device). Such static assets have a large amount of data and put pressure on the storage area.

Here, the expression that the balloon image is dynamically generated means that the balloon image is not statically stored in the storage unit (storage medium, storage device), but is generated by calculation each time. However, depending on the situation, part of the dynamically generated balloon image may be saved in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device) and reused.

Without limitation, the generation of the balloon image may be performed using a shader. A balloon image may be generated without using a shader. A processor used to generate balloon images may be a GPU, a CPU, or other computing devices (for example, FPGA). The balloon image may be generated as a two-dimensional (2D) image, but may also be generated as a three-dimensional (3D) image. Also, after the balloon image is generated as a three-dimensional (3D) image, this may be projected into a two-dimensional space to generate a two-dimensional (2D) balloon image.

Also, the balloon image in the sixth embodiment is not affected by enlargement or reduction of the display size, and image quality can be maintained. For example, in the case of the balloon SB01 (see FIG. 14), if the value of r in the formula A is increased, the balloon generator 12Z will generate a larger circular balloon. If the value of r in the calculation formula A is reduced, the balloon generator 12Z will generate a smaller circular balloon. In the case of balloon SB02 (see FIG. 15), size. x or size. If the value of y is increased, the balloon generator 12Z generates a larger rectangular balloon. size. x or size. If the value of y is made smaller, the balloon generation unit 12Z will generate a smaller rectangular balloon. Here, in the case of a balloon image stored in a storage area as a static asset (material), enlarging the balloon image to a size equal to or larger than the resolution of the balloon image degrades the image quality.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of calculation formulas defined for balloon generation, corresponding to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula may be predefined in the balloon generation program or in a format that can be referenced from the balloon generation program. FIG. 17 lists pre-defined formulas Formula 001 through Formula 013 as non-limiting examples. However, predefined calculation formulas are not limited to these.

"Basic shape" indicates the outer shape of the balloon (for example, circular, rectangular, elliptical, etc.) to which the formula corresponds. "Variable 1" and "Variable 2" indicate the contents of values that can be input as variables of the formula. For convenience of explanation, variables 1 and 2 are described, but the number of variables for one calculation formula is not limited to one or two. The number of variables for one calculation formula may be 0 or 3 or more. "Change in appearance of balloon" indicates the change that the value of the variable gives to the appearance of the generated balloon (how the appearance of the balloon changes when the value of the variable changes).

(animation display)
When the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having variables, the appearance of the balloon generated by the balloon generation unit 12Z changes according to changes in the values of the variables. That is, by changing the value of the variable, the balloon can be animated. The generated balloon may be updated periodically. For example, the callout may be updated every frame. If the frame rate (fps) is 60, the balloon is updated 60 times per second. Those skilled in the art can freely design what values are used as variables and how the appearance of balloons is changed by the variables. Therefore, the balloon defined by the formula can have a wide variety of changes in its appearance.

Note that if the balloon image is statically stored in the storage unit (storage medium, storage device) as an asset (material), affine transformation (rotation, scaling, movement, ) to animate a still image. In the case of this method, the essential shape of the balloon image does not change, and it is difficult to express variously. On the other hand, if the appearance of the balloon is defined by a calculation formula, various changes can be given to the balloon image by changing the values of the variables, thereby increasing the variety of expressions and broadening the range of expressions.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on numerical values indicating the content of the speech combined with the speech balloon. Here, the speech combined with the balloon means the speech displayed overlapping the frame image when the frame image of the balloon is displayed on the game screen or the like.

(Quantification of speaker's emotions expressed by lines)
Without limitation, the content of the dialogue may imply the speaker's emotions. For example, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having, as a variable, the degree of anger expressed by the line (anger level). For example, if the content of the line is "It's nice to have a cool autumn", the degree of anger is zero. For example, if the content of the line is "Don't be silly!!", the degree of anger is 3. Referring also to FIG. 17, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies calculation formulas 003 and 008 having “the degree of anger based on the content of the dialogue (usually 0 to 10)” as the variable 1. FIG. In FIG. 18, a balloon SB03A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the degree of anger is zero. A balloon SB03B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the anger level is 6. The scale of the speaker's anger is expressed as the size of the thorns on the balloon frame. Also, although the balloon is drawn in black in FIG. 18, the balloon SB03B is actually more reddish than the balloon SB03A (calculation formula 008).

The calculation formula specifying unit 11Z may determine the value of the anger level from the content of the speech based on various algorithms. For example, in the storage unit (storage medium, storage device) of the server 10, specific texts such as "don't play around", "damn", "!" or added value) is stored in advance. The calculation formula identification unit 11Z refers to this correspondence table and calculates the value of the degree of anger based on the text included in the dialogue. Also, the server 10 may have a learning model for machine learning. The learning model may be, for example, a trained model obtained by machine-learning the text included in the line, using the text included in the line as an input and the anger level value as an output. The calculation formula identification unit 11Z inputs the text included in the dialogue to the learned model and calculates the value of the degree of anger. The algorithm for calculating the degree of anger is not limited to the above, and those skilled in the art may determine the calculation algorithm as appropriate. The calculation formula specifying unit 11Z may use any means that can be implemented by a person skilled in the art to calculate the anger level value from the text included in the dialogue.

The content of the dialogue combined with the balloon is not limited to the degree of anger. For example, based on the text included in the dialogue, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z determines the degree of affection, degree of tsundere, degree of dislike, degree of curiosity, degree of goodwill, degree of malice, degree of seriousness, and degree of surprise expressed by the line. Various values may be determined, such as degree, degree of sadness, degree of kindness, and the like. The calculation formula specifying unit 11Z then specifies a calculation formula having these values as variables.

(Quantification of the impression received by the receiver from the dialogue)
Without limitation, the content of the dialogue may refer to the impression received by the recipient of the statement associated with the dialogue (user, viewer, game player, etc.). An impression is an emotion that a person (receiver) who receives an utterance related to the line has toward the utterer. For example, the receiver has an impression of the speaker, such as "this statement is cute" or "this speaker has a strong sense of responsibility". While the above-mentioned degree of anger means the emotion of the speaker, the impression means the emotion of the receiver. For example, based on the text included in the dialogue, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z determines the degree of the speaker's core strength, the degree of cuteness, the degree of sincerity, the degree of responsibility, the clumsiness, which the receiver receives from the dialogue. Values that quantify various impressions, such as the degree of harshness, may be determined. The algorithm for determining the numerical value of the impression is the same as that described above with the example of the degree of anger. Then, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula having, as variables, values obtained by quantifying the impression.

(Quantification of topics included in dialogue)
In a non-limiting manner, the content of the dialogue may refer to the topic (target of utterance) included in the dialogue. For example, if a line includes keywords such as "Aristotle" and "Kant", it is highly likely that the speaker is talking about philosophy. When a keyword such as "fluffy omelet rice" is included in the line, there is a high possibility that the speaker is talking about food. In this case, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z can quantify the dialogue based on the "difficulty of the topic". For example, the topic difficulty may be 1 if the topic is food, and the topic difficulty is 5 if the topic is philosophy. Algorithms for determining numerical values of topics included in dialogue may be similar to those described above with examples of anger levels. Then, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having, as variables, values obtained by quantifying the topic included in the dialogue.

In addition, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z may digitize the content of the dialogue based on various criteria. The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the value obtained by digitizing the content of the speech.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the numerical values indicating the content of the dialogue combined with the balloon. As a result, the balloon generation unit 12Z can generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the content of the dialogue combined with the balloon. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the number of characters of the dialogue combined with the balloon. Here, the speech combined with the balloon means the speech displayed overlapping the frame image when the frame image of the balloon is displayed on the game screen or the like.

For example, if the content of the line is "We are looking for a legendary sword", the number of characters is 14. If the content of the line is ``In the cave beyond the northern mountains, it seems that the legendary sword is sleeping'', the number of characters is 30. Referring also to FIG. 17 , the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies the calculation formula 002 having “the number of characters in the dialogue” as the variable 1 . In FIG. 19, a balloon SB04A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the number of characters is 14. A balloon SB04B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the number of characters is 30. The balloon frame increases in the vertical direction (long axis direction of the ellipse) according to the number of characters.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the number of characters of the dialogue combined with the balloon. As a result, the balloon generation unit 12Z can generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the number of characters of the dialogue to be combined with the balloon. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

Figures 20 and 21 are diagrams illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the volume or sound quality of the voice data corresponding to the dialogue combined with the balloon. Here, the speech combined with the balloon means the speech displayed overlapping the frame image when the frame image of the balloon is displayed on the game screen or the like.

(Voice data equivalent to dialogue)
Audio data corresponding to lines means audio data that is reproduced together with the display of speech balloons combined with lines. For example, in a video game or the like, there are cases in which speech balloons combined with dialogue are displayed and voice data read out by a voice actor is reproduced. Also, in live commentary videos, talk events, and the like, voices of commenters and performers are picked up by microphones and recorded as audio data. The recorded audio data is played back together with balloon display (display in a live video, display on a large screen at an event site, etc.). These voice data are an example of data corresponding to lines.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the volume of audio data corresponding to the dialogue (hereinafter abbreviated as the volume of dialogue) as a variable. Referring also to FIG. 17, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula 009 having “speech volume (1 to 20)” as the variable 1. FIG. In FIG. 20, a balloon SB05A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the speech volume is 1. A balloon SB05B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the speech volume is 18. FIG. The volume of the speaker's voice is expressed as the size of the thorns provided in the balloon frame and the size of the balloon itself.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having as a variable the sound quality of audio data corresponding to dialogue (hereinafter abbreviated as the sound quality of dialogue). Various criteria for quantifying sound quality are conceivable, but here, the degree of breathlessness of a voice actor is exemplified. A breathy voice has a breathiness level of 10, and a breathy voice has a breathiness level of 1. Existing audio processing techniques may be used for quantification (for example, calculation of breath leakage degree) based on audio data. Referring also to FIG. 17, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula 010 having “speech sound quality (breathiness degree 1 to 10)” as variable 1. FIG. In FIG. 21, a balloon SB06A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the degree of breath leakage is 1. As shown in FIG. A balloon SB06B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generation unit 12Z when the degree of breath leakage is 5. FIG. The degree of blurring of the outer edge portion of balloon SB06B is greater than that of balloon SB06A. The amount of exhalation included in the voice is expressed as the degree of blurring of the balloon frame.

The sound quality of lines is not limited to the degree of breathlessness. For example, the tone quality of the speech includes the low pitch of the speaker's voice, the degree of edge voice, the degree of nasality, voice quality, tone color, and the like. The sound quality of these lines is quantified, and the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having quantified values as variables.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the volume or sound quality of the voice data corresponding to the dialogue combined with the balloon. As a result, the balloon generation unit 12Z can generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the volume or tone quality of the voice data corresponding to the dialogue. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the attribute values of the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon. Here, the speech combined with the balloon means the speech displayed overlapping the frame image when the frame image of the balloon is displayed on the game screen or the like.

(speaker attribute (value))
A speaker's attribute means a property that the speaker has. A speaker's attribute value means a numerical value of the speaker's attribute. For example, the gender, age, physical strength, intelligence, magical power, agility, physical strength, cleverness, bravery, luck, resilience, hit points (HP), magic points (MP), etc. of characters appearing in stories and games. Physical attack resistance, magic attack resistance, and the like are typical examples of speaker attributes. Speaker attributes are not limited to these. A case where the speaker's attribute is the hit point (HP) of a character appearing in the game will be exemplified below.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the hit point (HP) of the speaker of the line as a variable. Referring also to FIG. 17, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula 001 having “character HP” as the variable 1 . In FIG. 22, a balloon SB07A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the HP of the character is sufficiently high. A balloon SB07 shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the character's HP is low. The basic shape of the balloon in this example is an ellipse, but as the HP of the character decreases, the ellipse expands in the major axis direction and shrinks in the minor axis direction. In other words, the balloon frame is thinly crushed according to the decrease in the HP of the character. This expresses how the character weakens.

In addition, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z may identify one or more calculation formulas based on various attribute values possessed by the speaker.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the attribute values of the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon. As a result, the balloon generation unit 12Z can generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the attribute of the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the numerical value indicating the environment in which the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon is placed. Here, the speech combined with the balloon means the speech displayed overlapping the frame image when the frame image of the balloon is displayed on the game screen or the like.

(Environment in which the speaker is placed)
The environment in which the speaker is placed means the environment around the speaker. For example, if the speaker is an in-game character that appears in a game, the environment in which the speaker is placed includes, for example, the following. The current location of the character (town, village, castle, dungeon, cave, temple of health recovery, meadow, mountain, sea, etc.), number of companions accompanying them, status of companions, whether or not they have encountered enemy characters, character Current time (for example, morning, noon, evening, night, midnight, etc.), weather (sunny, rain, heavy rain, snow, thunder, etc.), group to which the character belongs, battle stance of the group to which the character belongs (emphasis on short-range attacks, emphasis on long-range attacks, emphasis on defense, emphasis on survival, etc.), status of collection of items essential for progressing the game, remaining time until character's mission clear, character's current location Whether the villagers and townspeople like or dislike the character, the era in which the character exists (ancient, modern, modern, future, etc.), the power distribution of the world in which the character exists (Maou Military superiority, human superiority, etc.), the economic situation of the world where the character exists (boom, recession, famine, etc.), the prevalence of epidemics, etc. in the world where the character exists (no epidemic, pandemic, epidemic, etc.) .

If the speaker is a person existing in the real world (eg, game commentator, event participant, etc.), the environment in which the speaker is placed includes, for example, the following. Location where the speaker is currently located (city, town, village, outdoor, indoor facility, etc.), number of people related to the speaker (number of viewers of posted videos, number of participants in events, etc.), attributes of people related to the speaker ( classmates, co-workers, first meeting, etc.), current time (e.g., morning, noon, evening, night, midnight, etc.), traffic conditions when the speaker is moving (traffic jam, train service suspension, etc.), presence of the speaker Location and weather near home (sunny, rain, heavy rain, snow, thunder, etc.), remaining time given to the speaker (remaining video recording time, time until the end of the event, etc.), security of the speaker's current location economic conditions of the region where the speaker is located (boom, recession, etc.), epidemic spread in the world where the character is located (no epidemic, pandemic, epidemic, etc.).

The environment in which the speaker is placed is not limited to the above. Hereinafter, a case where the environment in which the speaker is placed is the distance between the in-game character who is the speaker and the enemy character (distance to the enemy character) will be exemplified.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the distance to the enemy character as a variable. Referring also to FIG. 17, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula 012 having “distance to enemy character” as variable 1. FIG. In FIG. 23, a balloon SB08A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the distance from the enemy character is sufficiently large. A balloon SB08B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the distance to the enemy character is shortened. The number of thorns provided in the balloon frame expresses how the in-game character becomes tense as the enemy character approaches.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the numerical values indicating the environment in which the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon is placed. This allows the balloon generation unit 12Z to generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the environment in which the speaker is placed. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the number of speakers of lines combined with speech balloons. Here, the speech combined with the balloon means the speech displayed overlapping the frame image when the frame image of the balloon is displayed on the game screen or the like.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the number of speakers of the line as a variable. Referring also to FIG. 17 , the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula 007 having “the number of speakers of the line” as the variable 1 . In FIG. 24, a balloon SB09A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the number of speakers is one. A balloon SB09B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the number of speakers is three. The number of people speaking the line at the same time is expressed as the number of concentric balloon frames.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the number of speakers of lines combined with speech balloons. Thereby, the balloon generator 12Z can generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the number of speakers. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the operating time of the video game. The operating time may be the operating time of the server that controls the progress of the game. Also, the operating time may be the time (play time) from when the user (player) having the user terminal starts playing the game to the present time. The operating time may be the elapsed time when the time point at which a predetermined event occurs in the ongoing game is set to time 0.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the operating time of the video game as a variable. Referring also to FIG. 17 , the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies the calculation formula 006 having “game running time” as the variable 1 . In FIG. 25, a balloon SB10A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the running time of the video game is still short. A balloon SB10B shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the video game has been running for a long time.

Here, an example of utilization of the balloon described in FIG. 25 is shown. For example, an in-game character (main character) operated by a player has a companion character (accompanying character). The companion character accompanies the main character by being summoned from another world, generated by magic, or the like. The companion character leaves the main character after a predetermined period of time elapses due to reasons such as returning to another world or running out of magical power of the main character who is the summoner. The words of the companion character are displayed on the game screen together with the balloon image generated by the balloon generation unit 12Z based on the calculation formula 006 . For example, in such a case, as the video game's running time increases, the balloon becomes more transparent. As a result, it is possible to visually produce the remaining time until the time limit for the companion character to leave the main character. In addition, when the main character is affected by poison, the effect of poison may be reduced by a balloon generated by the balloon generation unit 12Z based on the calculation formula 006.

Further, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z may specify a calculation formula such that the shape of the speech balloon changes as the operating time of the video game increases. For example, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula that defines a shape that has a rectangular shape with no corners and becomes more circular as the elapsed time increases. As a result, it is possible to produce a situation in which the personality of the young speaker, who is the in-game character, becomes more gentle with age.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the operating time of the video game. This allows the balloon generator 12Z to generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the operating time of the video game. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, according to at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the gaze position on the game screen of the video game player. Here, the gazing position on the game screen means the position on the game screen where the game player is gazing. For example, when a cursor is displayed on the game screen as in a personal computer, the gaze position on the game screen may mean the cursor position. When the game screen is displayed on the touch panel display, the gaze position on the game screen may mean the position where the user (video game player) tapped on the touch panel display. When a game screen is displayed on VR goggles having a line-of-sight detection function, the gaze position on the game screen may mean the position indicated by the line of sight of the wearer of the VR goggles.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having, as a variable, the gaze position of the video game player on the game screen. Referring also to FIG. 17, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula 011 having “coordinate values (x, y) of gaze position on game screen” as variable 1 . In FIG. 26, a balloon SB11A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the gaze position is not on the predetermined area of the game screen. The balloon SB11B shows the appearance of the balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the gaze position is on the predetermined area of the game screen. When the gaze position is on a predetermined area of the game screen, the thorns of the speech balloon extend.

Here, an example of utilization of the balloon described in FIG. 26 will be shown. A video game player experiences the game from the viewpoint of the main character A, who is a character in the game. For example, another in-game character (for example, friend B who belongs to the same team as main character A) is shown in close-up on the game screen and is speaking in the game, and the words of friend B are displayed in combination with speech balloons. It is assumed that the predetermined area of the game screen is the displayed balloon area. At this time, when the gaze position is on the predetermined area of the game screen, the main character A (player) is looking at the balloon related to the friend B's statement. In other words, this corresponds to the case where the main character A (player) listens attentively to fellow B's remarks. Therefore, by extending the thorns of the balloon frame, it is possible to express that friend B is aware that "main character A (player) is listening to friend B's remarks."

FIG. 26 shows another example of utilization of the balloon described in FIG. For example, somewhere on the game screen, a rare item that increases the attack power of the main character A (player) is hidden. The main character A (player) is looking for a rare item by moving his line of sight (or by moving the cursor or tapping). Here, the main character A (player) can discover the rare item only during the time period when the friend B is chanting the "search" spell with gestures. Text corresponding to the spell that companion B is chanting is displayed in the balloon frame. When the gaze position of the main character A (player) overlaps with the position where the rare item is hidden, the thorns of the balloon frame extend. As a result, companion B is chanting spells with gestures, and although he cannot give hints regarding the location of rare items to main character A (player) with words or gestures, hints can be given by some other means such as signs. can express the situation that gives

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the gaze position on the game screen of the video game player. This allows the balloon generator 12Z to generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the player's gaze position on the game screen. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating changes in balloons according to variables, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on numerical values indicating the user experience given to the player of the video game.

(user experience)
Here, user experience (UX) is a general term for experiences obtained through products and services. In video games, it means the experience that a player has by playing a video game. For example, the player's feeling of nervousness, calmness (relief), crying, laughter, anger, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction while playing the game correspond to the user experience. Note that user experiences in video games are not limited to these.

(Quantification of degree of tension)
"Tension" and "relaxation", which are examples of such user experiences, will be exemplified. There are times when it is desirable to make the player tense during the game, for example when the user starts to get tired of playing the game. Conversely, if the player continues to be tense, the player will get tired, so there are cases where it is desired to relieve the player's tension. Therefore, in order to maintain the player's degree of tension in an appropriate state, a numerical index called the degree of tension is introduced. For example, the tension level is set to 0 when the player is not nervous at all. A score of 10 indicates that the player is completely tense. Here, for the sake of convenience, the maximum tension level is defined as 10, but the maximum tension level may be a value other than 10.

The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the degree of tension as a variable. Referring also to FIG. 17 , the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula 013 having “player's tension level” as variable 1 . In FIG. 27, a balloon SB12A shows the appearance of a balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the player does not want to be nervous (when the player wants to reduce the player's tension). The balloon SB12B shows the appearance of the balloon generated by the balloon generator 12Z when the player wants to be tense (when the player wants to increase the player's tension).

For example, the balloon generated by the balloon generation unit 12Z based on the calculation formula 013 is used for narration display in the game. In this case, the speaker of the narration is the game system itself. The narration display using balloons SB12B with spikes provides a stronger stimulus to the player than the narration display using balloons SB12A without spikes. Therefore, using the balloon SB12B with spikes can make the player more tense. Note that the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z may specify such a calculation formula that the color of the speech balloon becomes closer to red as the degree of tension to be given to the player increases. Since red is a color with strong visual stimulation, it can make the player more tense.

User experiences other than "tension" and "relaxation" provided to the player may also be quantified. The calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies a calculation formula having the quantified user experience as a variable.

As described above, the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies one or more calculation formulas based on numerical values indicating the user experience given to the player of the video game. As a result, the balloon generation unit 12Z can generate a balloon having an appearance suitable for the user experience desired to be given to the player of the video game. Therefore, it is possible to further enhance the player's interest in the video game.

(Supplementary matter of the sixth embodiment)
The calculation formula identification unit 11Z may identify a calculation formula that does not have variables (for example, calculation formula 005 in FIG. 17). If the appearance of the speech balloon does not need to be changed, a predetermined fixed value may be input to the variable portion of the calculation formula having variables (for example, calculation formulas 001 to 004 and 006 to 013 in FIG. 17). Also, if the formula has two or more variables, a predetermined fixed value may be input to some of the variables.

Elements that are taken into consideration when specifying the calculation formula (hereinafter referred to as consideration elements) may not be used as variables that the calculation formula has. Non-limiting examples of factors to consider include the content of the dialogue combined with the balloon (see FIG. 18), the number of characters of the dialogue combined with the balloon (see FIG. 19), and the volume or quality of the audio data corresponding to the dialogue combined with the balloon. (see FIGS. 20 and 21), the attribute of the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon (see FIG. 22), the environment in which the speaker of the dialogue combined with the balloon is placed (see FIG. 23), the dialogue combined with the balloon (see FIG. 24), the running time of the video game (see FIG. 25), the gaze position of the video game player on the game screen (see FIG. 26), and the user given to the video game player experience (see FIG. 27).

Considerations need not be quantified. More specifically, the content of the speech combined with the speech bubble (see FIG. 18), the sound quality of the voice data corresponding to the speech (see FIG. 21), the speaker's attribute (see FIG. 22), and the utterance of the speech The environment in which the person is placed (see FIG. 23) and the user experience given to the player of the video game (see FIG. 27) need not be quantified in specifying the formula. For example, if the line contains a predetermined keyword, calculation formula N is used, if the number of characters in the line is less than 20, calculation formula N+1 is used, and if the line has 20 or more characters, calculation formula N+2 is used. , and if the user experience given to the video game player is "I want to make the player laugh", use the calculation formula N+3, etc. Based on various conditions obtained from the above consideration factors, the calculation formula Which calculation formula is specified by the specifying unit 11Z may be determined in advance. For example, in such a case, non-quantified consideration factors can be used as criteria for formula specification (calculation formula selection criteria).

A plurality of consideration factors may be used in combination when specifying the calculation formula. Here, referring to FIG. 17, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z specifies a calculation formula 004 having "character's bravery (1 to 255)" as variable 1 and "distance to enemy character" as variable 2. do. The "braveness of character" corresponds to the speaker's attribute (see FIG. 22), and the "distance to the enemy character" corresponds to the environment in which the line speaker is placed (see FIG. 23). In the above description, various factors to be considered are classified into a plurality of categories (see FIGS. 18 to 27), and explained separately for each category. However, the calculation formula specifying unit 11Z may specify the calculation formula by considering factors included in different categories together. When the calculation formula identification unit 11Z identifies the calculation formula 004, the balloon generation unit 12Z generates a balloon having a circular basic shape. The generated circular speech balloon repeats expansion and contraction at a predetermined cycle. This animation display expresses the beating of the heart of the character about to encounter the enemy character. The closer the distance to the enemy character, the faster the speed at which the radius of the circle changes, so the heart beats faster. Also, while a brave character can calmly deal with an enemy character, a less brave character is frightened by an encounter with an enemy character. So, the lower the bravery, the greater the amplitude of the radius of the circle. That is, the heartbeat increases. Calculation formula 004 expresses such a character's sentiment by means of generated speech balloons.

A tail may be added to the speech bubble to identify the speaker. Tails attached to speech bubbles are sometimes called "paws," "horns," "arrows," "pointy parts," or "notches." Here, the part added to the speech balloon to specify the speaker is expressed as "tail". The shape of the tail is not limited to the triangular shape (see FIG. 28), and various other shapes are possible. For example, the tail may have a bent shape. There is also a "marutail" or the like, which is formed by arranging a plurality of circles in succession. A commonly used triangular tail will be described below as an example.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a tail-attached balloon in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention; A triangular tail T is added to the balloon SB13. The calculation formula identification unit 11Z may identify a calculation formula that defines the appearance of the balloon SB13 and a calculation formula that defines the appearance of the tail T. The balloon generation unit 12Z generates a balloon SB13 to which the tail T is added, using both the calculation formula for defining the appearance of the balloon SB13 and the calculation formula for defining the appearance of the tail T.

It is considered that the number of patterns of shapes that the tail T can take is smaller than the number of patterns of shapes that the balloon SB13 can take. Therefore, for the tail T, an image as an asset (material) may be stored in a storage unit (storage medium, storage device), and the tail T may be added to the generated balloon SB13 later.

(Summary of the sixth embodiment)
As one aspect of the sixth embodiment, various types of calculation formulas can be defined, so various speech balloons can be provided.

As one aspect of the sixth embodiment, by providing various speech balloons, it is possible to enhance the presentation effect for the user viewing the displayed speech balloons.

As an aspect of the sixth embodiment, by providing a variety of balloons, the player's interest in the video game in which the balloons are displayed can be enhanced.

As described above, the embodiments of the present application address one or more deficiencies. In addition, the effect by each embodiment is an example of a non-limiting effect or effect.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, 50 and the server 10 and server 40 are provided with various control programs (for example, a video game processing program, balloon The various processes described above are executed according to the generation program).

Also, the configurations of the video game processing system 100 and the video game processing system 101 are not limited to the configurations described as examples of the above embodiments. For example, the server 10 or the server 40 may execute some or all of the processes described as processes executed by the user terminal, or some or all of the processes described as the processes executed by the server 10 or the server 40 may be configured to be executed by the server 10 or the server 40. Any one of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, 50 (for example, the user terminal 20) may be configured to execute. Further, any one of the plurality of user terminals 20, 201 to 20N, 50 may be provided with a part or all of the storage unit (storage medium, storage device) included in the server 10 or the server 40. FIG. That is, in the video game processing system 100 or the video game processing system 101, either the user terminal or the server may have a part or all of the functions provided by the other.

Also, the program may be configured to implement part or all of the functions described as examples of the above-described embodiments in a single device that does not include a communication network.

Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments may be applied to configurations other than video games. Each of the above-described embodiments includes, for example, an application program that displays a speech balloon that is executed on any computing device such as a personal computer or a mobile terminal, and a speech balloon that displays a speech balloon on the screen in broadcast programs such as television or video distribution. , a video editing program with a function to generate speech bubbles when creating or editing videos (including posted videos) played by playback devices, screens displayed by display devices at talk events, etc. (projection The present invention can be applied to a speech balloon image generating program when displaying a speech balloon image on a screen projected onto a curtain, etc., or a device in which these programs are installed. In this case, the game screen in each embodiment described above can be interpreted as a screen displayed by a display device.

[Appendix]
The above descriptions of the embodiments describe at least the following inventions so that those having ordinary knowledge in the field to which the inventions belong can implement them.
[1]
on the server that controls the progress of the video game,
a calculation formula identification function for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
A balloon generation program for realizing a balloon generation function for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula.
[2]
The calculation formula identification function realizes a function of identifying one or more calculation formulas having variables,
The balloon generation program according to [1], for realizing the function of generating the balloon whose appearance changes according to a change in the value of the variable, in the balloon generation function.
[3]
The speech balloon generating program according to [1] or [2], for causing the server to display a speech balloon on a game screen.
[4]
Any one of [1] to [3] for realizing a function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on a numerical value indicating the content of the dialogue combined with the balloon, in the calculation formula identification function. speech bubble generator.
[5]
The speech balloon generation according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the calculation formula specifying function specifies one or more calculation formulas based on the number of characters of dialogue combined with the speech balloon. program.
[6]
Any one of [1] to [5] for realizing the function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on the volume or sound quality of the audio data corresponding to the dialogue combined with the speech balloon, in the calculation formula identification function. 1. The balloon generation program according to 1.
[7]
In the calculation formula specifying function, any one of [1] to [6] for realizing a function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on the attribute value of the speaker of the speech combined with the speech balloon. The described speech bubble generator.
[8]
[1] to [7] for realizing the function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on the numerical value indicating the environment in which the speaker of the dialogue combined with the speech balloon is placed in the calculation formula identification function. The balloon generation program according to any one of the above.
[9]
Any one of [1] to [8] for realizing a function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on the number of speakers of lines combined with the speech balloon, in the calculation formula identification function. speech bubble generator.
[10]
The balloon generation program according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein the calculation formula specifying function specifies one or more calculation formulas based on the operating time of the video game.
[11]
In any one of [1] to [10] for realizing the function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on the gaze position on the game screen of the player of the video game, the calculation formula identification function. The described speech bubble generator.
[12]
In the calculation formula specifying function, any one of [1] to [11] for realizing a function of specifying one or more calculation formulas based on numerical values indicating the user experience given to the player of the video game. A program for generating balloons as described in the paragraph.
[13]
Video game processing for causing a user terminal capable of communicating with the server to implement at least one of the functions that the speech balloon generating program according to any one of [1] to [12] causes the server to implement. program.
[14]
A server in which the speech balloon generation program according to any one of [1] to [12] is installed.
[15]
A video game processing system comprising a communication network, a server, and a user terminal, and controlling the progress of a video game,
calculation formula identification means for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
a balloon generating means for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula;
Video game processing system.
[16]
on the user terminal
a calculation formula identification function for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
A balloon generation program for realizing a balloon generation function for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula.
[17]
A user terminal in which the speech bubble generation program according to [16] is installed.
[18]
A balloon generation method by a computer device, comprising:
a calculation formula identification process for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
a balloon generation process for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula;
Callout generation method.
[19]
A speech bubble generation method by a video game processing system comprising a communication network, a server, and a user terminal, comprising:
a calculation formula identification process for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
a balloon generation process for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula;
Callout generation method.

One embodiment of the present invention is useful for increasing player interest in video games.

10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10Z, 40 Server 11, 11B, 11C, 11Z, 51 Calculation formula identification unit 12, 12B, 12C, 12Z, 52 Balloon generation unit 13 Display unit 20, 201, 20N, 50 User terminal 30 Communication networks 100, 101 Video game processing system

Claims (8)

on the server that controls the progress of the video game,
a calculation formula identification function for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
A balloon generation program for realizing a balloon generation function for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula. The calculation formula identification function realizes a function of identifying one or more calculation formulas having variables,
2. The balloon generating program according to claim 1, wherein the balloon generating function generates the balloon whose appearance changes according to changes in the value of the variable. 3. The speech balloon generating program according to claim 1 or 2, for realizing a speech balloon display function of causing said server to display said speech balloon on a game screen. 4. The balloon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the function of specifying one or more calculation formulas is realized based on a numerical value indicating the content of a speech combined with the balloon. generation program. 5. The balloon generation program according to claim 1, wherein the calculation formula identification function identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the number of characters of a dialogue combined with the balloon. 6. Any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the calculation formula identification function identifies one or more calculation formulas based on the volume or tone quality of audio data corresponding to the dialogue combined with the balloon. The speech bubble generator described in . A video game processing system comprising a communication network, a server, and a user terminal, and controlling the progress of a video game,
calculation formula identification means for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
a balloon generating means for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula;
Video game processing system. on the user terminal
a calculation formula identification function for identifying one or more calculation formulas;
A balloon generation program for realizing a balloon generation function for generating a balloon having an appearance defined by the formula.

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